Wheel-braces

ABSTRACT

A wheel-brace of the type having four arms comprises a pair of members pivoted to each other at their middle so as to provide two arms each, lateral projections at the middle of each member adapted to lie against the arms of the other member when the members are in operative position, a screw forming the pivot and enabling the members to be urged together when in operative position, and concave faces on the lateral projections to embrace the arms of the respective member when the members are in operative position or complementary recesses and projections between the lateral projections and the arms fitting together when the members are in operative position, to prevent relative rotation between the two members at the pivot, but permitting collapsing of the wheel-brace for storage, packing, and transport, by slackening the screw forming the pivot.

United States Patent 1191 Galley [4 July 3, 1973 WHEEL-BRACES Primary ExaminerRobert C. Riordon 75 Inventor: Gerald J'ack Galley, Sheffield, f

England Attorney-Lowe and Klng {73] Assignee: Sheffield Steel Products Limited, [57] ABSTRACT Shbfficld England A wheel-brace of the type having four arms comprises [22l Filed: May 4, 1972 a pair of members pivoted to each other at their middle so as to rovide two arms each, lateral rojections at l Appl' 250356 the middle of each member adapted to lie against the arms of the other member when the members are inop- [30] Foreign Application Priority Data erative position, a screw forming the pivot and enabling Nov 13, 1971 Great Britain 52,807/71 the members to be urged together when in Operative position, and concave faces on the lateral projections [52 us. Cl..... 81/177 E, 81/177 B to embrace the arms of the respective member when 51 Int. Cl B25b 13/00 the members are in Operative position or Complemen- [58] Field of Search 81/177 E, 177 B, y recesses and Projections between the lateral P 81/1773; 287/49 51 14 jections and the arms fitting together when the members are in operative position, to prevent relative rota- 5 References Cited tion between the two members at the pivot, but permit- UNITED STATES PATENTS ting collapsing of the wheel-brace for storage, packing, and transport, by slackening the screw forming the 2,488,305 11/1949 Manger et al 287/14 7 6/197] Klein et al 81/177 B 4 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures WHEEL-BRACES This invention relates to wheel-braces and has for its object the provision of a collapsible wheel-brace of the type having four arms, as is convenient for storage, packing, and transport, with means ensuring that collapsing will not occur when the wheel-brace is in use.

According to the present invention, a wheel-brace of the type having four arms comprises a pair of members pivoted to each other at their middle so as to provide two arms each lateral projections at the middle of each member adapted to lie against the arms of the other member when the members are in operative position, a screw forming the pivot and enabling the members to be urged together when in operative position, and means for effecting interengagement of the two members when urged together by means of the screw when in operative position to prevent relative rotation between the two members at the pivot.

The screw is preferably a thumbscrew passing through a plain cross-bore in onemember and into a tapped cross-bore in the other member.

The means for effecting interengagement of the two members may comprise concave faces on the lateral projections to embrace the arms of the respective member when the members are in operative position, or it may comprise one or more complementary recesses and projections fitting together when the members are in operative position.

Two embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of wheelbrace in accordance with the invention in operative condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wheel-brace of FIG. 1 in collapsed condition;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken from the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a corresponding view taken from FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are fragmentary elevations of the mating faces at the middle of the two members of another wheel-brace in accordance with the invention; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 correspond to FIGS. 3 and 4, but relate to the second form of wheel-brace.

The wheel-brace shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 consists of a pair of members 1A, 1B pivoted together at the middle by a thumbscrew 2 passing through a plain cross-bore 3 in one member 1A and into a tapped cross-bore 4 in the other member 18. Each member 1A, 18 therefore has two arms 5A, 58 respectively, each ending=in a socket 6 for a wheel-nut.

Each member 1A, 1B also has lateral projections 7A, 78 respectively at the middle, with concave faces 8 for embracing the arms 58, 5A respectively when. the wheel-brace is in its operative condition (FIGS. 1 and 3), the thumbscrew 2 being tightened up to hold the members securely in this condition, whereby the lateral projections serve both to transmit torque from one member to the other when in use and to prevent relative rotation between the two members at the pivot. A washer 9 is shown interposed between the head of the thumbscrew and the member 1A.

In the collapsed condition (FIGS. 2 and 4) the wheelbrace is highly suitable for storage, packing and transport, yet it can be readily opened out to the operative condition and secured by the thumbscrew in that condition.

The wheel-brace shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 differs from that shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 only in that instead of the concave faces 8 of the projections 7A, 78 providing interengagement between the members, the members have pairs of recesses 10 in their mating faces II and complementary projections 12 to fit together when the I members are in operative position.

What I claim is:

l. A wheel-brace of the type having four arms and comprsing a pair of members pivoted to each other at their middle so as to provide two arms each, lateral projections at the middle of each member adapted to lie against the arms of the other member when the members are in operative position, a screw forming the pivot and enabling the members to be urged together when in operative position, and means for effecting interengagement of the two members when urged together by means of the screw when in operative position to prevent relative rotation between the two members at the pivot.

2. A wheel-brace as in claim 1, wherein the screw is a thumbscrew passing through a plain cross-bore in one member and into a tapped cross-bore in the other member.

3. A wheel-brace of the type having four arms and comprising a pair of members pivoted to each other at their middle so as to provide two arms each, lateral projections at the middle of each member adapted to lie against the arms of the other member when the members are in operative position, a screw forming the pivot and enabling the members to be urged together when.

in operative position and concave faces on the lateral projections to embrace the arms of the respective member when the members are in operative position, to prevent relative rotation between the two members at the pivot.

4. A wheel-brace of the type having four arms and comprising a pair of members pivoted to each other at their middle so as to provide two arms each, lateral projections at the middle of each member adapted to lie against the arms of the other member when the members are in operative position, a screw forming the pivot and enabling the members to be urged together when in operative position and at least one pair of complementary recesses and projections between the lateral projections and the arms fitting together when the members are in operative position to prevent relative rotation between the two members at the pivot. 

1. A wheel-brace of the type having four arms and comprising a pair of members pivoted to each other at their middle so as to provide two arms each, lateral projections at the middle of each member adapted to lie against the arms of the other member when the members are in operative position, a screw forming the pivot and enabling the members to be urged together when in operative position, and means for effecting interengagement of the two members when urged together by means of the screw when in operative position to prevent relative rotation between the two members at the pivot.
 2. A wheel-brace as in claim 1, wherein the screw is a thumbscrew passing through a plain cross-bore in one member and into a tapped cross-bore in the other member.
 3. A wheel-brace of the type having four arms and comprising a pair of members pivoted to each other at their middle so as to provide two arms each, lateral projections at the middle of each member adapted to lie against the arms of the other member when the members are in operative position, a screw forming the pivot and enabling the members to be urged together when in operative position and concave faces on the lateral projections to embrace the arms of the respective member when the members are in operative position, to prevent relative rotation between the two members at the pivot.
 4. A wheel-brace of the type having four arms and comprising a pair of members pivoted to each other at their middle so as to provide two arms each, lateral projections at the middle of each member adapted to lie against the arms of the other member when the members are in operative position, a screw forming the pivot and enabling the members to be urged together when in operative position and at least one pair of complementary recesses and projections between the lateral projections and the arms fitting together when the members are in operative position to prevent relative rotation between the two members at the pivot. 